Sheldon Silver Speaker
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 64th district
In office 1977 – present
Born	February 13, 1944 (1944-02-13) (age 64) Lower East Side, New York, NY
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Rosa
Residence	New York City
Alma mater	Brooklyn Law School
Religion	Orthodox Judaism
Website	Assembly Website

Sheldon Silver (born February 13, 1944) is a politician and member of the Democratic Party, currently serving as Speaker of New York State Assembly. If you hold the copyright to an image (e. ... The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Manhattan neighborhoods | Stub ... New York, New York redirects here. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Alma mater is Latin for nourishing mother. It was used in ancient Rome as a title for the mother goddess, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary. ... Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a law school located in downtown Brooklyn, New York. ... Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonised in the Talmudic texts (Oral Torah) and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim. ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A politician is an individual who is a formally recognized and active member of a government, or a person who influences the way a society is governed through an understanding of political power and group dynamics. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... The Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party. ... The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. ...

Personal life

An Orthodox Jew of eastern European descent, Silver has lived all his life on Manhattan's Lower East Side. He lives with his wife Rosa a few blocks from their children and her parents. Friends regard him as rather cautious and reserved, though with a good sense of humor.^[1] Orthodox Judaism is one of the three major branches of Judaism. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... Categories: Manhattan neighborhoods | Stub ...

He graduated from the Rabbi Jacob Joseph High School on Manhattan's Henry Street. He was athletic and captain of the basketball team. He spent his undergraduate years at Yeshiva University and obtained a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. By the time he became Speaker of the Assembly, he was known to play basketball with other high-ranking officials, including former Governor Mario Cuomo and Alan G. Hevesi the former New York State Comptroller.^[2] Rabbi Jacob Joseph (1840-1902) was the first and only Chief Rabbi in New York City. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... Yeshiva University is a private Jewish university in New York City whose first component was founded in 1886. ... Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a law school located in downtown Brooklyn, New York. ... Mario Matthew Cuomo (born June 15, 1932) served as the Governor of New York from 1983 to 1995. ... Alan Hevesi is the Comptroller of the State of New York. ...

Political career

Silver was first elected to the Assembly in 1976, and became Speaker on February 11, 1994. He replaced Saul Weprin, who had recently suffered a stroke and whose sons David and Mark currently serve on the New York City Council and in the State Assembly respectively. He represents the 64th Assembly District, comprising much of lower Manhattan, notably the former World Trade Center site. He has a reputation as a liberal of the Lyndon Johnson mold. Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Saul Weprin (August 5, 1927-February 11, 1994) is the former Speaker of the New York State Assembly. ... David Weprin (born May 2, 1956) is a council member in the New York City Council. ... Mark Weprin represents District 24 in the New York State Assembly, which consists of the Queens neighborhoods of Floral Park, Queens Village, Glen Oaks and Oakland Gardens. ... New York City Hall The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... For other uses, see World Trade Center (disambiguation). ... American liberalism—that is, liberalism in the United States of America—is a broad political and philosophical mindset, favoring individual liberty, and opposing restrictions on liberty, whether they come from established religion, from government regulation, from the existing class structure, or from multi-national corporations. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908–January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician. ...

In 1987, Silver sued to stop the City of New York from housing inmates on an abandoned military barge that had last been used by the British in the Falklands War, arguing the barge would be disruptive to the neighborhood. At that time, New York City was struggling with an overcrowded jail capacity^[3]. An appeals court ruled that the inmates could be housed on the barge on February 26, 1988^[4]. Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Belligerents Argentina United Kingdom Commanders President Leopoldo Galtieri Vice-Admiral Juan Lombardo Brigadier-General Ernesto Crespo Brigade-General Mario Menéndez Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse Rear-Admiral John “Sandy” Woodward Major-General Jeremy Moore Casualties and losses 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...

In the past, Silver has been critical of state fiscal policy. He was the chairman of the Assembly's Ways and Means Committee from 1992 to 1994, selected after Weprin replaced former Speaker Mel Miller^[5]. In December 1993, he criticized then New York City Mayor-Elect Rudy Giuliani's appointment for budget director, Abraham M. Lackman, as "a person whose primary function [as director of fiscal studies for the State Senate Finance Committee] has been to limit the benefits for New York City."^[6] Mell Miller is the former Speaker of the New York State Assembly. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Rudolph William Louis Giuliani III, (born May 28, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, businessman, and Republican politician from the state of New York. ...

Silver was instrumental in the reinstatement of the death penalty in New York State in 1995. The bill passed was ruled unconstitutional by the New York State Court of Appeals (analogous to the Supreme Court in other states) as the law stipulated that if jurors were deadlocked between sentences of life without parole and execution, the court would sentence the defendant to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after serving 20 to 25 years. The Court ruled that in such a case, execution would seem unfairly preferable to the jury. New York's crime rate had dropped significantly in the 10 years since the law was passed, without seeing an execution. Silver let the law expire in 2005 without much debate^[7]. In December 2005, after two New York City police officers were killed in as many months, Pataki called for reinstatement of the death penalty. The New York Times quoted Silver's spokesman Charles Carrier as saying, "He no longer supports [capital punishment] because Assembly hearings have shown it is not the most effective way to improve public safety^[8].” Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... The Court of Appeals is New Yorks highest appellate court, created in 1847, replacing the Court for the Trial of Impeachments and the Correction of Errors. ...

In 1999, Silver was instrumental in the repeal of New York City's commuter tax, which taxed non-resident workers similarly to city residents. This was a great benefit to those commuting to work in the city from surrounding areas, but came at a tremendous cost to his own NYC constituents. Silver was criticized by ^[9] city leaders for removing the tax, and though after 9/11 he has suggested he would support reinstating it, he has taken no steps to do so. A commuter tax is a tax (generally on either income or wages) levied upon persons who work in a jurisdiction, but who do not live (are not domiciled) in that jurisdiction. ...

In 2000, Silver faced an attempted coup in the Assembly as members, primarily from Upstate New York, tried to overthrow him. Michael Bragman, one of the leaders of the backlash, lost his position as majority leader of the Assembly^[10] The areas highlighted in YELLOW and GREEN are those which are considered to be a bona fide part of Upstate New York from the perspective of New York City. ... Michael Bragman is a former member of the New York State Assembly. ...

On June 7, 2005, Silver blocked the proposal to build the West Side Stadium in the area of Hell's Kitchen. This project was heavily promoted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who claimed that it was crucial to New York's failed bid to host the 2012 Olympics. He was also involved in blocking the proposed Moynihan Station, a project which would have replaced Manhattan's aging Penn Station, as well as legislation that would stop city employees from collecting potentially-fraudulent duplicate retirement payments from multiple sources. In July of 2007, Silver was a key voice of opposition to Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing program and when a meeting of the Democratic Assembly Conference indicated the proposal lacked support, Silver declined to schedule a vote on the measure and it died. The congestion pricing plan was expected to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in federal transportation grants and raise billions of dollars in annual revenues by charging a fee to drive private vehicles within downtown Manhattan. Proponents argued it would reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions, lead to less crowded streets, and raise much-needed funds for public transportation, while opponents objected to the notion of a new driving tax. is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An artists rendition of how the West Side Stadium would have looked. ... View from between 47th and 48th street on Ninth Avenue looking north toward Time Warner Center and Hearst Tower Hells Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City that includes roughly the area between 34th Street and 57th Street, from... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born 14 February 1942) is an American businessman, founder of Bloomberg L.P., and the current Mayor of New York City. ... (Redirected from 2012 Olympics) Nine cities submitted bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and five have made it to the shortlist for hosting the Games of the XXX Olympiad. ... New York congestion pricing is a proposed traffic congestion fee for vehicles traveling into or within the Manhattan central business district of New York City. ...

Criticism

As the chief officer of one house of a state legislature known for its political inertia (the 2005 New York state budget was the first in 20 years to pass the Assembly on time), Silver has often been criticized as characteristic of the inside power structure of New York State government. During the administration of Governor George Pataki, Silver was criticized for participating in a "three men in a room" system of government in which Silver, the governor, and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno exercised nearly all control over government business in the state. A hierarchy (in Greek hieros = sacred, arkho = rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who was the 57th Governor of New York serving from January 1995 until January 1, 2007. ... Joseph L. Bruno (born April 8, 1929) is an American businessman and politician, the Temporary President of the New York State Senate and its Republican-party majority leader. ...

Silver has taken major contributions from the Dolan family, owners of Cablevision, the Knicks, the Rangers, and Madison Square Garden, and then personally brought a stop to the development of the West Side Stadium for the Jets, which Cablevision strongly opposed because it would pull revenue from Madison Square Garden.

At times, Silver has been criticized as being aloof. In 2000, an editorial written in response to the failed 2000 coup against his power in The Buffalo News attributed that aloofness to having too much power: Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Look up editorial, op-ed in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo, New York metropolitan area and its surrounding suburbs. ...

The problem–which also exists in the State Senate–can be boiled down to a single overarching issue: The Assembly speaker has too much power. He controls everything, from the legislation that can be voted on to how his normally docile members vote on it. He decides what the Assembly will accept in a state budget. He negotiates secretly with the other two leaders to hammer out important, expensive and far-reaching laws. And he ignores the wishes of less exalted lawmakers^[10]</ref>.

Silver has long been criticized for his employment with Weitz & Luxenberg, one of the state's larger litigation firms. This has led some to accuse Silver of having a conflict of interest, as he has consistently blocked medical malpractice and other tort reform in Albany. Weitz & Luxenberg insists that Silver's ties with the firm are "negligible" but Silver has refused to disclose the details of his employment or the salary he receives from the law firm. ^[11]

In 2005, commentator Bill O'Reilly of the Fox News Channel lambasted Silver for blocking legislation that would mandate restrictions on child molesters after their sentences are finished (including possibly forcing them to become permanent residents in psychiatric wards). "He stopped legislation that would have tracked the most dangerous sex offenders with electronic devices, and that would have mandated that communities be notified of sex offenders," O'Reilly said. "Everyone should know that Sheldon Silver is blocking legislation that would protect children and be tougher on sex offenders. That's why we call this man the worst politician in office today." ^[12] It has been suggested that Bill OReilly political beliefs and points of view be merged into this article or section. ... Fox News redirects here. ... A psychiatric hospital (also called a mental hospital or asylum) is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ...

In May, 2006, when legislators proposed a law to eliminate the state's 5-year statute of limitations on rape charges, Silver tied the legislation to a proposal to eliminate a 10-year statute on filing civil lawsuits. In the ensuing controversy, then gubernatorial candidate Elliot Spitzer sided against Silver saying "...the two should not be held hostage, one to the other." A statute of limitations is a statute in a common law legal system that sets forth the maximum period of time, after certain events, that legal proceedings based on those events may be initiated. ...

After the resignation of State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi in December 2006, Silver and Governor Eliot Spitzer attempted to work on a compromise on the appointment of a new Comptroller. According to the New York State constitution, the full legislature (Assembly and Senate) takes a majority vote for the replacement of certain Statewide offices. However, Silver has enough Democrats in his conference to pass anything he wants in a joint session without any Senate votes at all, giving him enormous power. The alleged deal was that a Blue Ribbon panel would formulate a list of up to five nominees. The panel, partially consisting of three former comptrollers, Edward V. Regan, H. Carl McCall, and former New York City Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin, ultimately put forward three candidates, none of whom were members of the State legislature. They were: Nassau County Comptroller, Howard S. Weitzman, commissioner of the New York City Department of Finance, Martha E. Stark, and William J. Mulrow, an investment banker who ran for state comptroller in 2002^[13]. Alan Hevesi is the Comptroller of the State of New York. ... Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959 ) is an American lawyer, politician and the current Governor of New York. ... Edward V. Ned Regan was a Republican politician and college president, originally from Kenmore, New York. ... The Rev. ... Harrison Jay Goldin (born February 23, 1936 in the Bronx, New York City) is a lawyer and New York politician. ...

Silver, expressing disappointment in what he deemed as a broken promise by Spitzer, organized the legislature to approve sitting Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli as the new state comptroller^[14]. Thomas P. DiNapoli (born February 10, 1954) was a state assemblyman in New York who was appointed as New York State Comptroller on February 7, 2007. ...

Spitzer has since steadily attacked Silver and the Legislature for their maneuver. ^[15][16].

See also

• List of members of the New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly has 150 members elected for two-year terms. ...

References

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C.. It is also one of the citys oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... New York Daily News Building, Raymond Hood, architct, rendering by Hugh Ferriss The New York Daily News is one of the largest newspapers in the United States with a circulation well over 700,000. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo, New York metropolitan area and its surrounding suburbs. ... The modern New York Sun is a daily newspaper published in New York City. ... The modern New York Sun is a daily newspaper published in New York City. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ...

External links

• New York State Assembly Page
• Speaker Silver's New York State Assembly Page